So.... about an hour after I wrote my last post, I decided to take a quick shower before going to bed. I had only been in the shower a few minutes and was shampooing my hair when I turned slightly and my bad foot gave out. I fell forward very hard and very fast. So fast in fact, that I couldn't even use my arms to stop myself and I hit my neck and collar-bone on the faucet. I could feel really sharp pains shooting through my bad foot and I very carefully righted myself using my left arm. Once I was sitting upright, I looked down and noticed that two of my toes were swelling up and one had a gash across it and was bleeding. Intense pain was radiating from my collar-bone and shooting up my neck and down my arm. It was at least a minute before I realized that I was hyper-ventilating. I had to focus on breathing slowly. I very carefully felt my collar-bone and neck and since no bones were sticking out or felt displaced, I lifted my right arm to see how it felt. It hurt, but it was movable. I carefully washed the shampoo out of my hair, washed the runny black mascara off my face, turned off the water, and slowly and carefully lifted myself up onto the side of the tub. I put my legs over the tub, slowly stood up and felt stabbing pains in my right foot. I wrapped a towel around myself, threw a towel down along the length of the bathroom for traction and gingerly limped my way to my bedroom. I sat down on my bed and just sat still for a few minutes. Then I picked up a mirror. I was surprised to find that my face was puffy from crying since I hadn't even realized that I was crying and then directed the mirror down to my collar-bone. There was a gash across my collar-bone and my neck was swelling just over my jugular vein. I carefully dressed myself and looked around for my phone. I began crying again when I realized it was in the family room. I briefly debated laying down and going to sleep but feeling uncertain about my collar-bone and my ability to move once I woke up, I grabbed one of my crutches that was conveniently next to my bed and slowly and painfully made my way to the family room. I sat on the couch and picked up my phone and then began crying in earnest. A thousand thoughts crossed my mind; why hadn't any of my housemates woken up when I fell? I really should get those traction strips for my shower. Will my work-comp cover this since it was caused by my previous injury, but happened at home? Will I ever get to drive again? I'm going to have to buy all new shoes. Can I still get an MRI in the morning? Will they do an MRI on my neck while I'm in there? Did I almost just die? What if that had been my face? What if that had been my head and I were a vegetable? Would my family go through my stuff? I'm going to have to go to the ER with wet hair and no bra. Are all my toes broken? Those collar-bone braces are ugly. Did I get all the mascara off my face? What if I can't go to work for weeks? What am I going to do about my new job? How am I going to get all the way to work everyday if I can't drive? Will my agency still pay my medical bills after I quit? Do I really need to go to the ER?

While all these thoughts were running through my head, I was crying hysterically.It took me 30-45 minutes before I felt calm enough to call my sister. As soon as she picked up the phone, I was hysterical all over again. I was finally able to choke out that I'd fallen and that I thought my collar-bone and toes may be broken. She told me to stay put and that she was on her way. After she hung up, I realized that my door was locked and my housemates were all still sleeping, so I calmed myself further and called one of my housemates and told her what just happened and she came racing from the top floor to the basement where I was camped out. She was awesome. It was really comforting just to have someone sitting next to me. My sister and brother arrived shortly after that to take me to the ER.

The ER visit deserves its own post because it's good entertainment... so I'll tell you all the details later. Just so you know, my collar-bone is NOT broken, just terribly bruised. I broke the fourth toe on my right foot, but everything else is intact. I've been camped out at my mom's all weekend and I have bruising up and down the right side of my body. I feel amazingly blessed that my injuries weren't more serious.

I can not believe that amazing story!! Good thing you had roommates and that you have family that lives by you. I am so glad that it was only as serious as it was not your face or something else scary! Dying to hear the hospital story, and it is so good to catch up with you through this blog.